Bengaluru: Six days before the start of the Asian Champions Trophy 2016, India has lost SV Sunil and Manpreet Singh due to injury. The duo will be replaced by Ramandeep Singh & Akashdeep Singh who weren’t included in the original team announced on October 6.
While the 27-year-old forward still carries the wrist injury sustained during Rio Olympics during India’s match against Canada, Manpreet has picked up a groin injury recently.
Speaking about the injury of three of the team’s key players, Chief Coach Roelant Oltmans said, “Manpreet’s is a repeated groin injury. Though it is manageable at this stage, it should not become chronic hence we decided to keep him back here for rehabilitation. Sunil and Raghunath (who is recovering from an elbow injury) will also be in SAI while the team is away in Malaysia.” Oltmans has returned from the Australian Hockey League early this week where he had accompanied the Indian Junior Men’s Team.
Hockey India has announced Ramandeep Singh while Akashdeep Singh as the replacements of the two injured players, which include India’s vice-captain Manpreet Singh.
Rupinder Pal Singh will don the Vice Captain cap now for the Asian Champions Trophy. Oltmans, however, has expressed confidence in the team and said, “We have several options and I don’t see this as a setback for us at all. We will most probably play Pardeep Mor and Akashdeep on the midfield for this tournament.”